Rebirth
by quirky21
Summary: Some things even death can't change. Set during Retribution. Spoilers alert, see summary inside. Not related to my other RE fics. Rain x Alice.
1. Familiar

A/N – **CAUTION**: Heavy spoilers for RE: Retribution. You have been warned.

Written because, dammit, they killed Rain AGAIN! Seriously? Grrr. So, naturally, I had to fix that. And, I know, some others have already kinda done this. So what? I wanted to do it too. And it's in my own quirky way...  
An Alice/Rain fic. Not related to my SAWPverse pieces.

Standard disclaimers apply. For entertainment purposes only.

Rated M, because, hell it's Resident Evil. I couldn't write a RE fanfic that wasn't M rated. I've got 6k worth of chapters written. This fic will probably be less than 10k words total.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_**Familiar**_

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the light to turn green. Three men, bloody, clothes torn, chased a screaming mailman through the intersection. The mailman tripped, and the trio were quickly upon him, sinking their teeth into him. The eco-conscious woman in her car sat staring until the light flashed to green and pulled her from her horror-struck daze.

Lorraine closed her eyes and took several intense breaths. Opening her eyes again proved nothing had changed, except that the mailman had stopped struggling and screaming. "No way." She groaned to herself. That kind of crazy only happened in the movies. "No flipping way this is happening!"

A woman slammed into her door and shoved her arm through the partially open window. Moaning and reaching for her face, Lorraine didn't think twice about slamming her foot onto the gas pedal. Tires screeching, she floored the pedal and raced down the street. Her little four cylinder engine squealed in protest at the harsh treatment. The woman swerved around a shambling, bloody figure. She stroked the car's panel, just behind the wheel. "Sorry, baby. Just get momma outta here, and I'll treat you to that tune-up you've been asking for."

The next few minutes were a blur as she dodged the crazy freaks trying to eat each other and the obstacles, like burning cars. Lorraine didn't have a clue where she was going and did _not _stop for anyone. Until she saw that woman with her arms protectively around a little girl. Honey blonde hair hanging in soft waves, plaid shirt, and hip hugging jeans. The white chick looked like an ordinary housewife. Except, she was a really hot housewife, and Lorraine knew her. She slammed on the brakes, stopping next to her and the kid. "Get in!"

A breath, and the woman stared at her stupidly, terror written across her features. Dried tear tracks showed through the blood and dirt smeared across her pretty face. It was then that it occurred to Lorraine that she didn't actually have a clue who the woman was. No names meshed with her face, and the Latina couldn't dredge from her memories where she knew the blonde from. A glance in the mirror eased her mind. She could figure that kind of stuff out when monsters weren't hungry for their flesh.

"What are you waiting for? Get in!" Lorraine yelled again, eager for the pair to hop inside. Those things were getting way too close.

"Come on, baby." The blonde finally ushered the girl into the back seat before jumping into the front. "Thank you." She rasped out with a sick smile of gratitude.

Driving her foot into the gas again, Lorraine nodded, her eyes on the rearview mirror. So many, so much death.

"What the hell is going on?" The woman demanded of Lorraine.

"I dunno."

"Why are these people doing this?"

Lorraine looked the woman in the eye. She needed the woman to understand, so she could keep herself, and her kid, alive. Why Lorraine felt she needed to protect the blonde was something she didn't understand. She ignored that thought and spoke, carefully enunciating. "Those things aren't people anymore. They..."

A runaway truck slammed into the back of her little car. The airbags deployed, smacking painfully into Lori and the woman. The car's rear literally flew off the pavement, propelling it forward on the nose. Several yards down the street, it flipped over and dropped heavily onto the roof before skidding to a stop. Lorraine blanked out.

* * *

When she came to, the woman was dragging her kid from the car. Lorraine blinked hard, trying to figure out why everything looked funny. It clicked that she was upside down, being held up by her seatbelt. At the same time, she saw dozens of feet running by. They were chasing the blonde and her kid. "Oh, shit." She squeaked. Once again, she felt that crazy ache to protect the woman, but fear and survival instinct kept her in the car until the running crazies had passed.

She punched the release to the seatbelt, and dropped heavily to the ceiling. "Ow." Judging it was safe enough, she bolted through the still open passenger door. After a hurried glance around the area and not seeing the blonde or her kid, Lorraine picked a random direction and ran like hell. As she circled around some cannibals, she bemoaned her choice of footwear that morning. Her super cute boots with the pointy heels would have been fine in the office. But out there, running from hungry cannibals across thrashed lawns, well, she'd kill for her pink Converse sneakers sitting by her front door at home.

* * *

Somehow, she ended up in a subway tunnel. Last time she checked, Raccoon City didn't have a subway. And what the heck kind of writing was that on the walls? She started to examine a wall when she heard a noise behind her. Time to run and hide again. Yep. That was the theme of the day. Run and hide.

Crouching behind a puke-yellow tile covered pillar, Lorraine felt her heart pounding away in her chest. Her eyes were drawn to the train tracks. Something about being in the subway, with the threat of death hanging in the air felt so darn _familiar_. Steady, hurried footsteps drew her from hazy thoughts of exhaustion, burning pain, and a red dress. She risked a peek around the pillar and practically collapsed in relief.

It was that little girl and her mom. Or, at least, it might have been her mom. The blonde hair was way different. Instead of long waves, bangs, and that soft honey color, it was darker and cropped short. The ends of her hair brushed her jaw. And what was with the outfit? All black and leather, buckles, boots, and in her hand was a gun, another strapped to her back. Lorraine shrugged, smiled happily, and bounced out of her hiding place. When the blonde's gun was suddenly leveled at her head, she stumbled to a stop.

"Hey, it's me!"

The little girl turned to her mom, signing and speaking in a slurred voice. "She saved us earlier. Don't you remember?"

Lorraine smiled her best smile at the pair. When the woman lowered her gun, Lorraine leapt forward and pulled her into a big hug. "It's so great to see you again!" She bent down and hugged the kid too. That close, she noticed the clunky hearing aid attached to her head. Oh. Deaf. Lori shrugged and with another cheery smile, she stood up. Her eyes ran over the outrageous leather getup again. "But what's with the S&M outfit?"

Her eyes appeared ready to bug out of her skull, yet her voice was calm, controlled. "Never mind. What's your name?"

Wondering if she had something gross on her face, she replied with a strained smile. "Lorraine. Call me Lori. What's your's?"

The woman's eyebrow jumped at 'Lori', but she didn't say anything on it. She gestured at the kid. "This is Becky. I'm Alice." _Alice_. That named seemed to echo in Lori's ears. "We need to get out of here."

"I won't argue with that." They started walking down the platform. "What's with this place anyway?" Pointing at the strange writing on the walls, she asked, "Is that Russian?"

Alice's eyes abruptly fixed on the writing. "You know how to use this, right?" She asked, thrusting out one of her guns.

Shaking her head negatively, Lori grunted. "I campaigned for gun control."

Eyebrow raising again, Alice shrugged and shoved the gun into her hand.

"No. I don't think you understand. I marched against the NRA."

Alice pressed into her back and wrapped her arms around the suddenly very nervous Latina. "Concentrate," she spoke into her ear. Her hot breath ghosting across her skin sent a shiver down Lorraine's spine. Vague images of a huge mansion, massive bed, silk sheets, and steaming bodies flitted through her memory. Alice's warm hand was guiding her finger around the trigger and pointing. "Just like a camera. You point." Alice inhaled. Lori bit her lip. "And shoot."

BANG! BANG! BANG! The report echoed loudly in her ears, and the recoil sent her back into Alice's solid, strong body. Her first time firing a weapon, hearing its deafening roars, and the strange woman behind her should have had Lori whimpering, crying, something not what she currently felt. And that was safe. Being in Alice's arms was satisfying. The sound and feel of the gun in her hands was like putting on a favorite pair of shoes. Broken in, molded to the foot. Comfortable. Lori's brain itched with confusion.

Alice clapped her on the shoulder. "Congratulations." She stepped back. "You're officially a badass."

Lori didn't miss the ironic tone. She recognized that it should have been freaking hilarious. Turning slightly, she saw the blonde's lips pull into a crooked smile and grinned back. Problem was, Lori couldn't figure out why it was so funny, nor why Alice's smile had butterflies swarming her tummy. Sea green eyes stared into her, and the smile dropped into a serious expression. "Hide here with Becky. I'll be back."

"You said you wouldn't leave!" The little girl, Becky, cried out.

Alice spoke and signed to her... daughter? "I have to go, but I _will_ be back."

Tears spilled from Becky's eyes. "But..."

"Trust me. I will come back, and I will get you out of here." Determination colored her tone. Heck, Lori believed her. The kid seemed to too.

Becky nodded and reached for a hug that Alice returned for a few seconds. She stood and met Lori's gaze again. The Latina spoke before Alice could. "Don't worry. She'll be safe with me."

Something like relief passed over the woman's face.

"Mommy!" Becky held up another sign at the retreating Alice's back. When the woman turned around, her eyes grew wide. "I love you."

A grim smile, and Alice nodded. "I'll be back soon." Then she was running and disappeared up the stairs leading to... wherever. Lori wondered why she didn't return the kid's heartfelt 'I love you'.

The two left behind looked at each other.

Becky spoke, still signing. Lori figured it was an ingrained habit. Becky would probably sign to everyone, even if they were like Lori and didn't have a clue what the hand gestures meant. "I met your sister."

Lori felt her eyebrows jump into her hairline in surprise.

"She's not very nice."

Unsure how to respond to that strange proclamation, given that Lorraine was an only child, she shrugged. Looping an arm around Becky's shoulders, Lori guided them to the same pillar she had been hiding behind earlier. "Let's try hiding over here."


	2. Unexpected

A/N - And this is where I begin to deviate from the movie story. Not much, but enough to be uniquely mine. Cuz, really, although visually stunning, RE movies are pretty thin on the whole plotline and character development deal. And some of the things that are blatantly ignored, like touching frozen metal in the arctic without gloves on ... seriously? Never heard of having your flesh ripped off your bones? Ugh. I'm done now... Carry on.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_**Unexpected**_

They had been killing the time with Becky attempting to teach Lori some sign language. So far, Lori could do the alphabet with only a few minor mistakes and sign 'Becky', 'stop', and 'go'. She was trying to repeat the alphabet again when a loud screeching reached them. "What the?" Poking her head around the pillar showed her one hell of a scene.

A car was barreling down the tunnel, slipping sideways and taking out what looked like scaffolding. As the car crashed through them, the ceiling started to come down behind it. Through the falling bricks and dust, Lori saw something _huge_. Teeth flashed before the thick dust completely obscured it. The car came to a screeching halt and the collapsed ceiling sealed the tunnel and whatever the hell the thing with teeth was, behind a mountain of debris. Lori pulled her head back and put a hand to Becky's shoulder to keep her from exposing herself too. Anyone or anything could come out of that car.

Lori hefted the gun in her hand, taking several deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Without thinking, she checked the safety, flicked it off, and slipped her finger over the trigger. She heard the car doors open. More than one set of footsteps exited.

"Hey!"

That voice sounded like Alice. Maybe.

"I'm back! You can come out now."

Lori poked the gun's muzzle from hiding first, then risked a visual peek. Her shoulders sagged in relief at seeing that crazy dominatrix outfit on the familiar woman. "Come on, kid. Your hero's back. Looks like she brought friends too."

Becky dashed out ahead of her, making a beeline for the woman she called mom. Lori was looking over their new companions as the girl bodily leapt into Alice's arms. "Mommy, you came back."

Holding the girl to her, Alice's expression shifted to something soft and vulnerable. "I told you I would."

One of the new guys, a buff black dude grinned playfully. "Mommy, huh?" His tone held an air of familiarity that Lorraine didn't like. It grated on her nerves even more that she had no idea what she was jealous of. She frowned as he turned to Becky. "And who is this?"

Returning the guy's winning smile, Becky replied with her name. "I'm Becky. What's your's?"

Kneeling to be on level with Becky, he held out his gloved hand. "Luther."

The little girl untangled herself from Alice enough to shake his hand, though her other hand still clung to her mom's. Then the kid did something really unexpected and grabbed the Latina's unoccupied hand. "This is my friend, Lori."

Luther's attention refocused on her, taking in her pointy heeled boots, jeans, fashionable spring jacket, and the gun firmly gripped in her hand. His smile was genuine, and his tone only slightly flirtatious. "Hey there. Luther West." Both of Lori's hands were otherwise engaged, so a handshake was out of the question.

Oh, darn, was her overly sarcastic thought.

"We really don't have time for these niceties." The white guy with the 90's boy band hair grumbled. He was blonde, with that ruggedly handsome, I-might-have-shaved-this-week look. His muscles battled with his dark shirt to be contained, had guns strapped to him, just like the other guys, and he looked slightly constipated. Or maybe it was just the giant stick up his rear that gave him that particular expression.

Looking bored, in a red leather vest, was the last guy. He had that similar rugged look about him, but shorter cropped, brunette hair. He nodded at her and spoke in a thick accent. French or Canadian maybe. Lori would have scratched her head if her hands weren't otherwise engaged. "Leon's right. But we lost our map when that thing ate our buddy."

Alice pulled a pair of red-rimmed glasses from her boots. "No problem. These'll show us the way out." She put them on, much to the group's disbelief.

Lorraine had to admit, she looked cute in the eyewear. The lenses flickered like a TV, and Lori leaned in to stare. What looked like diagrams and maps flew across their tiny surfaces. _No way_, she mouthed.

Green eyes shifted their focus when the lenses were pulled away. Alice smiled at Lori's baffled expression and winked. Fluttering erupted in the tree-hugger's stomach and she licked her lips. Alice put the glasses away, and her features returned to being frightfully serious. Marching toward the edge of the platform, Alice gestured to them. "We can follow these, they'll lead us to the pens."

Alice leapt down and reached back for Becky as the guys plopped down on either side of her. Lori hesitated at the edge, thinking she'd like to show these people she wasn't some pansy suburbanite, but her impractical boots said otherwise. Still with that friendly smile, Luther reached up for her. Lori sighed to herself before accepting his help. His arm around her waist lowered her to the tracks. Quickly, she squirmed out of his grip the second her feet touched the ground. Lori nodded her thanks, and the man thankfully withdrew his arm to bring up his gun in a ready position. Without question, the group followed the impressive blonde down the dark tunnels.

The closer they got to wherever it was that Alice was leading them, the more the temperature seemed to drop. Concrete walls, dusty and frigid surrounded them. Everything had that industrial, slightly military kind of feel. It was creepy and … Lori's thoughts trailed off when she saw the massive humped shapes of submarines. "What the hell?" Her breath came out in a puff of white, verifying that the temp had definitely dropped.

Luther answered her question with, "Umbrella Corp's submarine fleet."

"Umbrella Corp? What's that?"

Suddenly, four sets of wide eyes were staring at her. Fidgeting, Lori resettled her balance several times. Becky's eyes flicked from face to face, as confused as Lori felt. Alice was the first to speak up. "The people responsible for the monsters around here."

"But," Lori shifted her weight yet again, aiming a hand at the immense Soviet crest on the wall in front of them.

"Former Soviet secret facility. I guess Umbrella doesn't care about the décor." Luther shrugged as he continued ahead.

"We aren't here to sightsee." Passing her with a disgruntled look, the shaggy blonde guy grumped.

"Leon's kind of a spoilsport." Luther grinned over his shoulder.

Smiling back, but keeping her uncharitable thoughts to herself, Lorraine jogged to catch up with the others.

* * *

Not much happened during their journey from the submarine pens to the elevator they gathered onto. At least, the guys called it an elevator. It looked like a giant dinner plate at the bottom of an incredibly tall, vertical toilet paper roll. Lorraine shrugged, she was grateful and oh-so-ready to be out of the scary place. If it got her out of there, she didn't care if they called it a cheese sandwich.

Leon cranked the controls and the platform began to rise. It clanked to a stop. The crew argued over power flow, time limits, access codes, and someone called the Red Queen. Lorraine sank to the floor beside Becky just before gunfire erupted around them. Bullets blew chunks out of the wall behind where Lori had been standing seconds ago. She grabbed the kid and huddled around her, pressing them close to the wall. Alice spared them a glance before hopping off the elevator and returning fire.

It was during a minor lull in the incessant noise of gun reports that Lorraine heard something like a growl. She looked up in time to see a massive freak with two stupidly long tongues and huge claws appearing from a passage in the wall. The gun in her hands was up and firing before she could curse, "Fuck this shit!" Bullets ripped into the monster, sending blood flying, but it batted away red-vest-guy and then herself with little effort. She skidded off the platform, to the concrete floor, stopping only when her head and shoulders crashed into a support pillar.

Alice was suddenly above her, fingers pressed to her neck. "Rain!"

"Oh, ow." Lorraine groaned.

"Thank God." The blonde muttered as she pulled Lori into a hug. "I couldn't lose you again."

"Again?" Dazed, Lori questioned.

The other woman didn't respond, merely hugged her tighter.

Over Alice's shoulder, Lori saw red-vest guy had gouges ripped into his chest and face from the monster's attack. Abruptly, she shrank back from the hug to examine herself. Her shirt and jacket were torn, showing some of her green bra and flat stomach, but otherwise she was whole. She sighed gratefully, but then took a sharp breath. "Becky!"

The women scrambled up to look into the elevator shaft. "Where is she?"

"That thing took her." Looking into Alice's eyes, Lori could tell that the woman was going after Becky. Lori hopped up to the platform and swayed unsteadily until Alice was beside her, steadying her. She pressed fingers to her woozy skull and moaned. "I don't think being dropped on my head is good for my health."

"I'm coming with you." Luther grunted as he pulled himself to the platform with them. A bullet clipped him in the arm, jerking him sideways. Alice returned fire even as she dragged Lori to the side, behind the dubious safety of the curved wall. To the other side, Luther jumped and shot back as well. "OK. Guess I'm not." He muttered, glaring at the ladder anchored to the wall that they would be climbing up. The bullet lodged in his bicep, leaking bright red fluid, looked really painful.

"Luther..." Looking guilty, Alice started.

"Go. I'll cover you. Go on, I'll be fine." He fired down the passageway to emphasize his point.

Alice nodded and began to climb. Right behind her, Lori followed, although the gun in her hand would make it a bit difficult to grab the rungs. She paused to jam the thing into the back of her pants. Luther gave her a thumbs up and turned back to shooting at well, whoever was shooting at them.

Together, the women climbed the ladder to the ledge where the monster's claws had left a very easy to follow trail. The ledge opened up to a dark passageway, and Lori plucked up her gun and practically glued herself to Alice's side. Sparing the frightened Latina a quick glance, Alice flicked on a little flashlight she pulled from her tall boot. She swung it from side to side, over the floor, walls, and ceiling. They moved forward cautiously, expecting the monster to pop out at any time and start chewing on them.

Alice suddenly surged forward. Lori was about to start running after her when the blonde stopped and knelt down. She held up a backpack covered in slime. Becky's backpack. Clenching her jaw, Lori's fist tightened around the gun. Nothing she thought of to say sounded good enough, so she lightly squeezed the blonde's shoulder and smiled at her. It seemed to be the perfect thing to do, because Alice clutched at Lori's dark hand until she nodded and released her. "Let's keep moving."

The trail led them to yet another vertical shaft where they had to climb up another frigid ladder to follow the claw-gouged concrete. They were a couple stories up when she heard Alice gasp. "What?" She followed Alice's pointing finger to a fleshy thing stuck to the wall several stories up. Squinting, Lori saw it move. Inside, Becky's hands beat against what looked like a mucus membrane. "Oh, icky. That's just nasty"

Both women heard the snarling at the same time. That monster was back, poking its grotesque head out of the tunnel that Becky was trapped in. Alice pulled out a pistol that had what looked like a fishing reel on it. "I'll distract it." She growled. "You get Becky." The blonde aimed at the monster and a grappling hook shot out, lodging into the shaft wall just beneath the freaky beast. The gun whisked the woman up and away from Lori, who stared in awe. Alice disengaged the hook and with an amazing display of acrobatics, flipped over the mutant, shooting into it as she went. Both were lost from view as they ran down the tunnel.

"That was insane. Who the hell is this chick, anyway?" Shaking her head, Lori muttered. "Get a move on, girlie." She encouraged herself. "Got a little ways to go." She hustled up the remaining few dozen feet. When she reached the same level as Becky, neither Alice nor the creature were in sight. She achingly clambered over and stared in horrid fascination of the girl's pulsing prison. Becky's cries pulled her from her reverie. "Hold on, kiddo!"

Not sure what to do and thoroughly grossed out, Lori put her hands to the surface, feeling for a seam or... something. She lucked out as her fingers discovered a line in the middle. Hastily, she dug her hands in and started yanking away. Many sweaty, sticky moments later, Becky tumbled into Lori's arms. Poor kid was shaking like a leaf.

"It's OK. I've got you."

Becky whimpered and clung to her waist. Lori had never been particularly maternal, but the girl's terror had her thinking like an angry momma. She really wanted to pound someone's face in for putting the kid, and her, for that matter, through hell. The sound of running footsteps had Lori whipping around, keeping the girl behind her and pulling out the gun. Alice appeared a moment later. While she heaved a sigh of relief, Becky leapt into her mom's arms.

"Mommy!"

Lori stepped forward and touched a hand to Alice's. "Did you get it?"

"It's down for the count." Alice gave her a little crooked grin that Lori felt herself imitate. "Come on." Alice rearranged the still clinging Becky so she could walk back down the passageway. "We need to get going."

"But, shouldn't we..." Lori trailed off, pointing at the elevator shaft.

"We need to get to the surface." She glanced at Becky and grimaced. "Soon." The blonde shook her head when Lori opened her mouth to ask 'why'.

Despite the burning curiosity, Lorraine realized Alice was trying to protect Becky from something. Still feeling that burn of maternal protectiveness, she kept her questions to herself. "Okey dokey. Right behind you."


	3. Heat

A/N - Hello again! Wow, so amazed by the intensity of readers' lust for some AlicexRain!

Welcome and thank you to all my readers, new and veteran! I hope this continues to satisfy your femslash cravings :)

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_**Heat**_

Lori didn't have a clue where they were going. She was blindly following the woman she kept telling herself that she'd never met before, but that her heart kept insisting she knew very well. The blank concrete walls weren't helping her solve the silent riddle, and neither was the ridiculous leather outfit that clung tightly to Alice's lovely body. "You going to explain the leather?"

A laugh burbled up out of Alice's mouth. "It was this or nothing."

"Oh." Lori's jaw worked silently. "Fair enough."

Becky joined the conversation. "What happened to your other clothes? And your hair?"

Alice looked stricken, her eyes flickering nervously and her jaw tightening.

Feeling responsible for opening the can of worms, Lori rescued the woman from her dilemma. "Probably an awesome story, huh? Maybe you..."

The door they had paused in front of opened by itself, and Lori was staring inside, her jaw hanging loosely and her eyes bugging out of their sockets. Her feet moved forward of their own accord, taking her inside with the girls hot on her heels.

"What is this?" Lorraine squawked, staring up at dozens and dozens of Alices, Beckys, Lorraines, and others she recognized from her neighborhood. Each scarily perfect copy was garbed in black spandex bodysuits and suspended by metal harnesses that looked almost like meat hooks embedded into their spines. They were carried on transport rails that disappeared into the shadows far above their heads. They couldn't even see the ceiling. Swiftly, precisely, creepily, the _people_ swung past on their hooks. Unmoving and lifeless, they seemed no more human than toy soldiers, with no other purpose except to entertain bored little children.

"Mommy, who are those people?" Becky's outcry echoed Lori's tangled, confused thoughts. The young girl was frantically pointing at the copies of herself and Alice. Tears pooled in her eyes and her voice quavered. "Mommy! You are my mommy? Right?"

Wanting to see Alice's reaction to the question, she forcibly turned away from the parade of giant toys, aliens, clones, hallucinations... whatever they were. Fear, anger, and compassion flashed across Alice's face until it settled on steely determination. "I am now." The blonde whispered harshly and pulled the girl to her in a protective hug.

That was when Lori's brain caught on that Alice knew exactly what was happening, and that there was more to the leather gear and guns than she let on. She would be able to tell the spunky Latina why she kept having the strange visions that felt disturbingly like memories. Lori did something that was totally not like her. She grabbed Alice's arm roughly, and growled at her. "I want answers."

And Alice did something that Lori definitely did not expect. The mysterious woman smiled. "After we get out of here, I'll answer anything you want. Good enough?"

Lori blinked, rage lost at Alice's eager response. "Yea, sure."

Alice jerked her chin at the other side of the massive room. "We need to go that way."

An all-too-familiar snarl caught their attention. Looking up revealed that giant monster was back. "Crap! I thought you said you killed that thing." Lori cried out shrilly.

Alice followed her line of sight. "Damn that psychotic AI!"

Confused, yet again. "What?" Lori squeaked.

But Alice aimed her gun at the terrifying creature and yelled. "Run!"

The blasts of her gun threatened to make Lori as deaf as Becky. Fighting back the urge to clamp her hands over her ears and cry like a baby, Lori grabbed the kid and ran like a bat out of hell. Hearing the gun go quiet and Alice's boots pounding the concrete, Lori knew that the monster was probably close behind. She brought up her own gun, and after shoving Becky forward, turned around. The monster was just about to swipe at Alice, so Lori opened fire, distracting it long enough for Alice to catch up. Her gun clicked, out of ammo. Angrily, she hurled the useless thing at the creature and allowed Alice to pull her along.

They dove through another door right ahead of the monster's deadly claws. It crashed into the heavy door, and the girls could hear it roar in frustration. From around the corner, two soldiers in black gear appeared, aiming guns at them. In the blink of an eye, the incredible Alice had taken them both down. She yanked a gun, and what looked like grenades, off of one goon at the same time the monster's claws burst through the door. Sparkling green eyes met Lori's terrified gaze. "Ready for a little heat?"

"Make it rain, Ali!" Lori chuckled. "Come on, kiddo." She grabbed the huffing Becky and started pulling her down the latest shadowy passage. "Not time to rest yet."

Alice grinned at them and primed the grenades in her hand. The door was ripped away, and a grotesque head poked through the fresh hole. "Chew on this!" And she shoved the volatile package into its gaping mouth before bolting after Lori and Becky. They burst into a side passage right as the explosion rocked the concrete walls.

A vicious inferno blew past, burning the air in Lori's lungs, and setting her to gasping and coughing. The others were choking and coughing too for several unpleasant moments. Alice was the first one up, helping the other girls to stand as well. She gestured down the scorched tunnel. "That way," she rasped.

Not more than a few minutes later, what felt like another, even bigger explosion knocked them off their feet again. Groaning and muttering about having had enough crazy for the day, Lori picked herself up. She could still feel tremors through the heels of her boots. Becky and Alice joined her, and they continued on their previous route. With every step they took, the air grew progressively more frigid. The tunnel branched, and the direction Alice chose ended in a metal grate that she kicked open. Hugging herself against the bitter cold, Lori peeked around Alice, who had an arm wrapped around Becky.

It was a massive vertical shaft that she could see many other platforms, exactly like the one that she had been thrown from earlier, dotting the edges. Sloshing water that smelled rather salty filled the bottom of the shaft. A couple yards down from their position, two familiar, tired faces looked up at them. The guy with the boy band hair, and the flirtatious dude. Despite her lackluster opinion of them, Lori was thrilled to see them alive anyway. "Hey, guys!" Enthusiastically, she waved down at them.

Luther grinned at her while Leon's face remained in its usual constipated expression. When Leon cranked the power for the elevator again, the girls hopped down, joining them on the trip up. Once they reached the top, the girls stared around in stunned amazement. They were surrounded by snow-covered land. In one direction was what looked like an abandoned arctic facility. In the other, frozen ships poked up from a vast sea of ice. They glistened frostily in the sharp, cold sunlight.

"Where the hell are we?"

"Siberia." Leon answered. He trudged away, and the group followed quietly. The man led them to what Luther called a snowcat. It was a huge vehicle with massive snow treads and a bright orange paint job. They clambered inside the spacious cabin, where Alice was handed a toasty-looking parka. Alice pulled it on quickly. Her eyes met Lori's and suddenly, and she started yanking it off.

Teeth chattering, Lori shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine." She strategically bumped Becky into Alice's arms before the other woman could finish taking off her coat.

"But..."

"Don't worry, I've got her covered." Luther's smooth voice soothed Alice. Lorraine was afraid to turn around and look at him, thinking he was probably about to offer his body warmth. The feel of heavy fabric being settled on her shoulders shocked her. She whipped around to face the guy. "Better?" He asked, already snugly zipped into his own parka and tugging on gloves.

Easing her frozen arms into the coat, Lori nodded gratefully. "Much. Thanks, man."

Luther's grin widened, and he nodded. Another coat appeared in his hands, and he held it out to the shivering Becky. "It's gonna be huge on you, but it'll keep you warm."

"Thank you." Becky replied and took the offered garment. Alice helped her into it before settling herself and the kid onto the bench.

The snowcat's engine rumbled to life, sending vibrations through Lori's feet. She plopped down on the seat beside Alice. Becky was on Alice's other side. Luther settled himself on the opposite side, grinning at her. Leon spoke up from the driver's seat. "Wesker is sending a chopper to meet us at the rendezvous."

Feeling Alice tense up, Lori touched her arm. Alice met her eyes. "I don't trust Wesker."

"He went through a lot of trouble to retrieve you _alive,_ Alice." Leon barked.

Alice's face tightened, and she glanced at Becky, seeming to consider her response. "I still don't trust him."

The cabin was tensely silent. Uneasy and bored, Lori dug into her pockets to distract herself. She found a pair of gloves and happily shoved her numb hands into them, crooning out loud and earning herself four sets of stares.

"What?" She squawked indignantly.

When no one answered her with words, she decided that smug grins and mocking eye-rolls didn't count, she went back to her treasure hunt. Another pocket gave up a neon yellow, fleece-lined beanie that she eyeballed before leaning across Alice and tugging it over Becky's curly hair. Becky grinned a silly smile and brought a hand up, touched her fingers to her chin and arced her hand away from her face.

_ Thank you_.

Lori was proud she actually knew that bit of sign. She smiled cheerily and settled back in her spot, her right side pressed into Alice for warmth. Feeling Luther's heavy regard, Lori closed her eyes and pretended to doze. An arm slipping around her waist nearly had Lori jumping out of her skin. Her eyes flew open and met a pair of uncertain green, looking into her. The arm started to move away.

"No." She hastily whispered, feeling a blush spread across her face. "This is... nice."

The smile that grew on Alice's face had more heat pooling on Lorraine's cheeks and elsewhere. She ignored the embarrassing blush, the rabid butterflies in her stomach, and Luther's half-jealous, half-amused stare. Alice's arm wrapped around her and pulled her a little closer. Hesitantly, Lori leaned into the warmth and affection that the strong blonde was offering her. Her head tilted to rest on Alice's shoulder, and she thought to herself that she really didn't care about getting answers to her questions so much anymore. Being with Alice made everything else seem dreary and unimportant.


	4. Darkness

A/N - Look, an update. hehehe

Just got RE Retribution on blu-ray the other day. Watched it, finished this chapter. Watched the deleted scenes... where most of the Mrod goodness is! Started chapter 5. Ahhh

Happy New Year, everyone!

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**Chapter 4**

_**Darkness**_

Jerking out of her doze, Lori looked around frantically. "What was that?"

Luther looked at her strangely. "What was what?"

"You didn't..." The snowcat shuddered again, and bucked upwards, dropping back heavily to its treads. It bucked once more, its treads leaving the ice and tumbling sideways, throwing its occupants about like so much useless cargo. The people inside grabbed their aching heads and checked each other for injuries. Satisfied with each others' relative good health, the unspoken decision was made to go outside into the blowing wind and icy cold for answers.

Leon was already out of the driver's seat with a gun in his hand, and his constipated look had been replaced by frustration and worry. Seeing the man afraid scared Lori more than the tremors still shaking them and the snowcat. Alice and Luther were right behind Leon as he moved to the door, their own guns in hand, and calmly frightened expressions set in hard lines on their faces. They clambered out of the snowcat while Lori and Becky stayed mostly inside, poking their heads out to look around. Right away, the cause of their snowcat's sad state was apparent.

The smooth, black lines of a submarine's tower was breaking up through the ice. That strange red and white logo painted on its side sent waves of fear rippling through Lorraine. She knew that logo intimately, almost as well as she knew Alice. Both of which were impossible, yet still absolutely true. Lori's mind felt as stretched as it had back in college cramming for finals. Growling to herself, she pinched the bridge of her nose and willed the ache and strange, fuzzy emotions to go away.

A hatch on the side of the tower began to open, and Lori had an arm around Becky's waist even before Alice looked over her shoulder. Seeing Lori's preemptive hold on the curious girl, her lips twisted into a grim smile, and she nodded a silent 'thank you'. The tree-hugger was caught in Alice's gaze until shadowed figures began to appear in the sub's brightly lit, open hatch.

First out was a blonde woman, her bleached out hair pulled back painfully tight. She wore a ridiculous, purple, skintight outfit with her cleavage on display like a corner hooker. Between her round breasts sat a large spider-like, red glowing _thing_. Her exposed, pale flesh was flushing quickly in the bitterly cold weather. Twin gun holsters hugged her thighs, one empty, and below them, high, darker purple boots finished her odd look. Frigid pale eyes raked over Lori and company in a dismissive manner before settling on Alice with a predatory gleam. Behind her came a shorter woman in another revealing outfit.

She had better taste at least, Lori thought, admiring the silky red dress gracing the Asian looking woman. It was ankle-length, with slits up both sides to reveal strong, beautiful legs on top of clunky heels. What looked like a pistol holster was strapped to her right thigh. It was empty, and her arms were folded behind her back, thrusting her breasts forward. Dark eyeliner enhanced her delicately slanted eyes, which widened considerably when they met Lori's curious stare. Just as quickly, her features returned to a slightly snobbish and irritated expression. And behind her was the biggest surprise of all.

Becky tapped Lori on the shoulder. "She's not your sister, is she?"

Shaking her head, Lori muttered. "No."

A perfect copy of Lorraine had a vicelike grip on red-dress-chick and a gun's muzzle buried in the Asian's short black hair. Except, instead of Lori's casually cute look and tamed curls, the copy's raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail, rebel strands framing her frowning face, and her clothes screamed 'bad girl'.

Black combat boots. Black leather pants. Black mesh belt with a gun holster and several little pouches. Black vest, thick, with buckles at the sides and probably bullet-proof. Black fingerless gloves. Even her eyes appeared black in the dim sunlight. Dark. Very, very dark. Lori shuddered at the evil version of herself.

The copy met her eyes. For a second, the dark woman stalled, confused. Her eyes widened, her jaw slacked, and her hand holding her gun slipped down a bit. "Wha..."

"Stay on task." The blonde barked at Lori's _twin _without even looking back. Dark Lorraine snapped her mouth shut, settled her face into a deep scowl, and shoved red-dress-chick forward roughly.

Lori felt a growl deep in her chest. She did not like that bleach-blonde bimbo already.

"Project Alice." The bleach-blonde addressed Lori's mystery friend, her voice an almost monotone drawl.

"Jill." Despite her steady voice, Alice's eyes were sad, and her gun was aimed squarely at Jill's forehead.

Lori bit her tongue to keep her questions to herself. She reminded herself that she needed to keep the kid safe and couldn't do that if she started babbling Without a doubt, the bitchy blonde would shoot her just for the fun of it.

"Just the two of you?" Alice questioned.

"It will be more than enough." Jill's arrogant confidence shimmered with truth. To Lori, it reminded her of walking into a bathroom that someone had just crapped in. Horrible and unavoidable.

Leon whispered to Luther. "I told you she'd have a plan."

Shaken from her putrid thoughts, Lori wondered what the hell he was referring to.

"Project Alice, lower your weapon or Ada Wong dies." Stated Jill. Lori's twin smirked, and it made the gentle woman itch to rearrange that smug face.

Alice delayed for a few breaths. Her arm quivered, then lowered slowly.

"Drop it."

She tossed the gun toward the bleach-blonde bitch. Dark Lorraine drew something from her pocket. It shone in the bright lights of the submarine, and Lori gaped when she realized it was a strange syringe of some sort. The dark woman seemed hesitant to use it, given she held it up and took a long, deep breath that pissed off the purple wearing blonde.

"Do it, Sergeant Ocampo."

_Ocampo_. Lori shivered with goosebumps, feeling the name bounce around her skull, and Alice looked over her shoulder at Lori. Those green eyes of her's spoke volumes before the lids closed over them, and Alice returned her gaze to the unknown trio of women. Lori saw her _twin_ eyeball Alice for a moment before meeting Lori's own gaze. Something passed between them, and Dark Lorraine might have dipped her head at Lori, but she couldn't be sure, the idea of it was too ridiculous.

Then the injector was at the black clad woman's neck. Its needle slipped into her flesh, and she grimaced as she slowly squeezed the trigger.

Leon spoke into the cold atmosphere. "Must be the serum that Wesker told us about."

"What?" Alice demanded, slightly breathless.

"The serum was created based on the work of someone named Dr. Isaacs. It supposedly echoes the physical effects of the T-virus without actually infecting the individual. Speed, strength, regeneration, all amplified."

Luther grunted. "Great. So we're screwed."

Jill's spider-thing glowed brighter, and her arrogant smile lifted.

"Shit." Lori muttered, pulling the kid closer to her.

The needle withdrew from Sgt. Ocampo, and she rotated her neck, eyes closed. Those dark eyes reopened, and a smirk grew on her too-familiar face. She carelessly tossed aside the injector. Lori's eyes tried to track the soaring metal. A fluff of disturbed snow obliterated her view just as Ocampo swung the butt of her pistol into the Asian chick's neck.

The woman in the silk dress collapsed to the ice, unconscious. Guns appeared in the good guys' hands and they started shooting at the Umbrella bitches. Ocampo dropped her pistol as her body jerked with the impacts while Jill marvelously dodged and weaved her way to Alice. The guns ran out of ammo, but the dark woman was still standing. Blood ran from numerous holes where her vest couldn't protect. Ocampo's smirk reappeared. Little lumps suddenly appeared and dropped out of those holes. The bullets, Lori realized.

"Oh, shit. Fuck. Shit." Lori squeaked.

Snarling, Jill tackled Alice.

Her sentiments were echoed by the guys as Ocampo's wounds healed, and she barreled toward them. Lori's mind caught up to the danger of the situation and yanked herself and Becky down into the relative safety of the snowcat. They could hear the clash of flesh, grunts of pain, and _shushing_ of disturbed snow.

Becky sniffled and whined in fright.

Lori wrapped herself around Becky, hoping the others could handle themselves while she did her best to protect the little girl. Outside, more gunshots blasted stupidly loud, and bullets clunked against the snowcat's undercarriage. Each impact had little Becky shivering and clinging ever tighter to the equally terrified woman.

"Shh." Lori whispered to the deaf girl. "It'll be okay." Maybe she was talking to herself, she mused, trying to keep her own fear under control.

The gunfire stopped. Lori looked up to the open door, and so did Becky. They listened to the sounds of fighting. Fists and curses were flying freely. Lori wondered how much Becky's implant allowed her to hear. Their eyes met. She wondered what would be worse, hearing everything, or nothing at all.

Someone was thrown against the snowcat with a loud CLUNK, sending both girls jumping back in surprised fright. Through the front window of the snowcat, they saw Alice's form crumpled on the ice. Becky clambered away from Lori and out of the vehicle, yelling for her mother.

"Shit, shit, shit." The tree-hugger cried before chasing after the little girl.


	5. Clones

A/N - Something about learning last minute, literally as I clocked out, of a mandatory 7am meeting on my only day off made me feel like writing violence...

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**Chapter 5**

_**Clones**_

Emerging from the snowcat, Lori's eyes burned in the arctic weather. When she stopped blinking long enough for her eyes to focus, what she saw made her jaw drop. She wanted to press pause on the whole insane show just to take it all in. Hell, she felt like pressing rewind, play, rewind, play, and then doing it again. Or stop and eject. That would be nice too. She'd had enough crazy in the past few hours to last her the rest of her life. The guys were _still_ fighting Sgt. Ocampo. Actually, the guys were being toyed with by the woman. Obviously, they did not stand a snowball's chance in hell against the newly improved woman. Ocampo smiled and laughed cruelly as she literally picked up an angry Luther and threw him into Leon. The men went down in a tangle of limbs.

Becky's frightened squeal reminded Lori of her self-imposed mission to protect the girl who had dropped to her knees beside the prone form of Alice. The blonde bitch was slowly advancing on the two, carrying a wicked looking staff. It was at least the length of the woman's body, barbed on both ends with a single vicious spike, surrounded by a ring of small, sharp blades. Wondering where the hell the woman had pulled _that _from, Lorraine readied herself to leap thinking she could maybe wrestle the woman down.

Alice moved first, her eyes fluttering open and fixing on Becky. "Becky!" She got back on her feet quickly, eyes darting to look at the predatory Jill and back to the girl. "Get back in the vehicle."

"But, Mommy..."

Lori slipped on the frosty metal, smacking her face on the frame and flopping gracelessly to the snow-covered ice beside Alice. "Oww." She sat up in time to catch Becky when Alice shoved the kid at her.

Before Jill could get any closer, Alice jumped at her. Almost lazily, Jill swung her staff and caught Alice in the shoulder, ripping through the thin material of her top and into the fragile flesh beneath. Blood flew and dripped, staining the pure snow. Flinching and clenching her teeth, Alice slapped a hand to the injury. It didn't appear very deep, though Alice hissed through her teeth. "Dammit, Jill."

The spider between those flushed breasts glowed a vengeful red, and Jill's eyes might have lit up too. "Creepy." Lori sing-songed under her breath.

"Her eyes scare me." Becky nodded.

"Wait, you saw them glow too?"

"Yes."

Lori cursed and eyed the blonde that was kicking Alice's ass. Badly. THUMP. WHACK. Each sound of Jill's fist or staff landing blows to Alice sent fresh tremors down Lori's spine. It was obvious to Lori that Alice didn't stand any more of a chance against Jill than the guys did against Ocampo.

The kid tapped Lori's shoulder. "Do you think she's being controlled by aliens or something?"

She would have laughed if it was not such an awful possibility. "I think you might be on to something, kid."

Alice flew back at them, propelled by a kick from Jill and crumpled on the ice. Smiling, Jill began to advance on the three of them. Thinking quickly, Lori clambered up the snowcat's side and wrenched the fire extinguisher from its place on the door. Right as Jill was about the slam her spear into Alice, Lori squeezed the trigger of the extinguisher, sending a plume of white chemical dust into the woman. Coughing, she staggered sideways, trying to avoid the nasty cloud. When the canister was empty, Lori successfully jumped down to the ice and slammed the cylinder into the woman's chest.

With a satisfying crunch and grunt, Jill stumbled backwards, dropping her staff, and falling to her knees. A hairline fracture appeared on the spider thing. Lori dove for the spear, rolled, and swung it, aiming for and hitting the spider again. This time, a solid crack appeared in it. Lori didn't have time to celebrate her success because she was knocked away like a pesky gnat. Angry as a disturbed hornets nest, Jill yanked her spear from Lori and made to impale the tree hugger. Screaming like a schoolgirl, Leon came soaring across the ice, thrown by one Sgt. Ocampo. His bulk impacted Jill, and they both went down. Snow flew everywhere.

Fuming, Jill shoved Leon off of her and got to her feet. "Ocampo, what are you doing?"

The dark woman stalked toward her superior, angrily gesturing at Lori. "Who the hell is this chick, wearing my face? And who the fuck is this Alice that claims to know me? Woman makes my insides twist up like pretzels and gives me creepy vibes! I want answers, Valentine."

Glowing brighter than ever, the spider thing looked ready to jump off Jill's chest and attack Ocampo. It didn't. Jill did frown though, a very angry, very irritated frown. "The only problem with using clones is the genetic memory. Eventually, something triggers memories from the original. If the Ocampo model was not such an excellent soldier, the DNA would have been incinerated a long time ago."

"I'm a clone?!" Ocampo looked less than pleased with the answers she was getting. Lori couldn't blame her. The idea that she was a copy of someone else, a secondhand human, didn't exactly make her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

"And now your usefulness has come to an end." Jill's eyes definitely were glowing, same as the mechanical spider. The bug sparked slightly, and Jill swayed on her feet. She righted herself when the sparks stopped. There was no doubt in Lori's mind now that the spider was the cause. "I should not have given you the serum. It will make terminating you a lengthy affair."

"You ain't terminating no one, you crazy bitch." And Ocampo launched herself at Jill, neatly avoiding the other woman's weapon and slipping in close. Quickly, Ocampo disarmed the blonde, and the two hyped-up women began a vicious bare-handed battle. Bruises blossomed and faded, blood was spat from gasping mouths, and foaming white clouds gathered around their faces. Neither was getting anywhere. Both seemed equally matched.

"Shit," groaned Lori. She made her way to Becky's side, checked on the kid, then forced herself to look at Alice, unsure if the woman was alive or dead. Blood was smeared on the pale face and a line of it trailed from her stomach to the ice where it froze. A small puddle of frozen blood was starting to form. Lori reached out a shivering hand, saw her glove and pulled it off. She touched Alice's neck.

There was a faint pulse.

"Thank God." Lori gasped.

Becky looked up at her. "What?"

"I thought she was..." She trailed off. "Nevermind."

Their attention was demanded by the sound of a gunshot. A pistol had appeared in Jill's hand. She fired off three more shots, which Ocampo dodged, before the dark woman kicked it out of her hand. The weapon cartwheeled on the ice, then slid toward Lori and company. Lori ignored it and stared at the fighting women, particularly watching Ocampo. It was more than disconcerting to see the mirror image of herself in combat. Ocampo seemed to be losing steam, slowing down, but Jill was as energetic as when she started.

Becky must have noticed too, because she started yelling encouragements, cheering on Dark Lorraine. Lori added her own unique cheers, "The spider, smash it! Smash the fucking thing!"

The combatants became locked in a fierce wrestling match. They rolled on the ground, snarling and glaring at each other. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Ocampo ripped off the spider and threw it. Jill convulsed, then collapsed, circles of blood bulging around where the spider's legs had been attached. Ocampo sprawled back on the ice, panting from exhaustion. "I am so ready for a hot shower." She gasped between pants.

Lying on its back, the freaky little bug's legs squirmed until it righted itself. Like a shot, the spider raced back toward the recovering commando. Lori scampered to the forgotten pistol. She picked it up and looked at it stupidly, wondering if it had any rounds left. The spider was only a few yards away from Ocampo. If that thing attached itself to her...

Lori's thoughts stopped as her body started moving. She blinked, and the gun had discharged two bullets. The metal device cartwheeled away. Sitting in a snowbank, it sparked frantically, but got back up and zoomed toward Ocampo, who had just noticed the situation. Moving as slow as cold honey, she scooted back from it. There was no way the exhausted woman could dodge that thing now. Lori felt like a ghost in her own body, someone else was carefully lining up the next shot and squeezing the trigger. More electricity arced out of the broken spider, casting jagged little shadows on the ice. The legs twitched a few times, then lay still. Its red glow faded completely. Lori dropped the pistol.

"Holy shit." Lori looked at her hands, not quite believing she had shot the gun at such a distance, with complete accuracy, at a tiny ass moving target. "Was that me?"

"Sure as fuck wasn't me, Miss Gucci."

Lori jerked sideways to face the person behind the nasty remark. Dark Lorraine slowly pushed herself up from the ice and glared at her.

"You don't have to be so mean."

"Did you seriously just say that?" Ocampo raised an eyebrow.

Jealously, Lori pouted that the other woman could move her eyebrows independently. She had never been able to convince her own to be so athletic. Ocampo continued to glare at her, disdain written across her features. Her scorn was the final straw on Lori's strained patience. "How about if I tell you not to act like such a hateful bitch?" Lori growled.

The other woman actually smiled. "That's better."

Lori was too surprised to reply, and Ocampo started chuckling.

A stressed gasp distracted the _twins. _Jill's mouth had formed a fish-mouthed 'O', her body stretched taught as if using every muscle possible to draw in fresh air. The woman kept inhaling until she couldn't anymore. She did not exhale. Probably could not. Lori started to worry, glancing over to Alice, who remained asleep with her head now in Becky's lap. She figured that Alice would probably know how to help the blonde, because Lori sure as heck didn't.

Ocampo staggered the few feet to Jill, knelt down beside the frigid woman and slapped her.

Lori gaped at her. Had she really just bitch-slapped her? The poor woman couldn't breath and...

Jill exhaled. Inhaled. Exhaled. She rolled over, breath still ragged, but breathing. "Thanks." She muttered and turned to look at Alice. The woman might have said started to say something, however the drone of engines and bright lights stole everyone's attention.

"What's that?" Becky yelled into the noise.

From behind them, cradling red-dress-chick in his parka, Leon responded. "It's help."

Holding his head, Luther sat up and grinned so widely that Lori felt herself echoing it. Help sounded like a damn good idea. Unless it came at a price. That would kind of suck. She looked down at Alice's vulnerable figure and instantly knew that whatever it took to save Alice, she'd do it.


End file.
